Gene Frenette: JU coach nailed message with benching

Now that Jacksonville University is playing its best basketball of the season, which should make for a compelling matchup Friday night against crosstown rival North Florida, you can't overlook how well the program's two principal figures kept things from unraveling.

Just before Thanksgiving, head coach Cliff Warren sent a message to his key player, senior guard Keith McDougald, about accountability and leadership. Warren didn't think the former Bishop Kenny High standout was listening properly, so the boss kept him chained to the bench for games against Wake Forest, Florida A&M and Florida.

It's rare for a senior with McDougald's credentials to get buried so deep in a coach's doghouse. That kind of punishment doesn't usually happen to a four-year starter and 1,000-point scorer.

McDougald could have pouted or rebelled against his coach's forceful management style. And if that happened, JU's season might have derailed in the process. Like many Atlantic Sun Conference teams, the Dolphins would have a hard time being a league contender if a top player is sidelined for a significant length of time or questions the coach's authority.

McDougald decided he had better get on board with Warren's program, which included JU's most experienced player taking the initiative to become a better leader. That started with accepting his penalty like a man.

"You know coach Warren, he looks for the best in his players," McDougald said. "We would disagree on a lot of things. I wanted to win so bad; sometimes I thought [his way] wasn't working. When I started listening, I found out things he tried were working. It's a maturity thing.

"Whether we like it or not, [Warren] is going to make us better men and better players. Whatever I was doing wasn't accumulating to being a great person. I had to get right, and get going."

There was no instant transformation on the court. JU struggled for a month after McDougald returned to the lineup. It lost to FAU, Central Florida and Samford over a 13-day stretch by a combined 77 points, with a shoulder injury keeping McDougald out for nearly two full games.

In the A-Sun opener against Mercer, the Dolphins looked completely outmatched in an 86-49 home loss.

To JU's credit, it didn't let the worst conference defeat in Warren's nine-year tenure become a confidence-killer.

McDougald stepped up his game and his leadership has been instrumental in the turnaround. He's averaged 18.4 points in the last five games (four JU wins), including a career-high 27 points last week against Stetson and a team-high 19 in handing Florida Gulf Coast, a Sweet 16 team last season, its first league defeat.

Warren doesn't get into specifics about what triggered McDougald's benching, but he's convinced how he responded to it was critical in helping JU right the ship.

"Keith and I have a very good relationship," Warren said. "He understands I'm going to challenge him on a daily basis. Whether you like it or not, you're going to get better academically, athletically and socially. I think he's accepted that. He's handled things very well.

"He's controlled his attitude and his effort. We're very happy with the state he's in right now. We need everybody to be on board."

The biggest change for McDougald was in acquiescing to Warren's insistence on taking a vocal leadership role. He was content in the past to leave that role to teammates.

But looking at JU's roster, with 11 players that are freshmen, sophomores or newcomers, McDougald was the logical choice as ringleader.

For a while, he wasn't leading the team anywhere close to the coach's desired destination.

The results showed during a 4-8 start, but the Dolphins (8-9, 4-2) are now tied with UNF for third place in the A-Sun. The winner of Friday night's game at UNF Arena could determine which of the local teams ultimately remains a league contender for the rest of the regular season.

One thing seems certain: JU is a far different team than the one obliterated by Mercer. The victory over Florida Gulf Coast was as complete a game as Warren's team has played in several years.

"Everybody's tuned in now," McDougald said. "Everybody is willing to sacrifice whatever they have to in order to win games. If it's diving on the floor or clapping on the sidelines, everybody is willing to do something to produce wins."

Combined with leading scorer Jarvis Haywood, plus the arrival of graduate student transfers RJ Slawson (a 6-foot-9 forward) and point guard Vince Martin, the Dolphins have enough interchangeable parts to win without being overly dependent on one player.

But if they want to remain a league contender, McDougald must step up as an enforcer and tone-setter. Thanks to some hard lessons from his coach about accountability, he's getting the message.

"[Sitting out three games] was more about what I wasn't doing," McDougald said. "Coach knew what I could do and brought it out of me."

Besides, it was time for his 21-year-old senior to take charge. McDougald is on schedule to graduate with a communications degree in May. Then he'll try to make a living in the real world.

All Warren did was give him a life lesson on the importance of being a team leader. It's what a good coach is supposed to do. JU basketball is better off that McDougald listened.